Voice of the People Hollering about Cord Blood

An article at the Herald-Dispatch, in its "Voice of the People" section features North Carolinian Celeste Ruby's plea for people to become registered blood marrow donors. Ruby also advises people to become umbilical cord blood donors.

Her argument is straightforward and succinct:

"I would also like to encourage everyone to donate their baby's cord blood. It, too, is full of potentially life-saving cells, and it does not require as close a match as cells from an adult would. It's a small thing to do that could save someone's life."

With all the argument and controversy surrounding cord blood and stem cells, it's refreshing to see a straightforward statement of this sort--cutting through all of the ancillary issues and stating a pretty simple fact or two.

We can argue about the specifics of cord blood and stem cell research, but we need to keep the bottom line in mind, just like Ruby does. Read her entire letter here.